Jrue Holiday, the only player on the Celtics roster with a championship, showcased his winning pedigree in Boston’s 105-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Holiday’s standout performance (26 points, 11-14 FG, 11 rebounds, three assists, 0 turnovers) marked a historic NBA Finals feat, being the first to achieve 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, 75% shooting, and zero turnovers since turnovers began being tracked in 1977-78.
“That championship DNA, which you hear all about all the time,” said Derrick White. “You don’t really know what it takes, until you do what it takes. Just the moment he came to our team in training camp, he kind of just had that presence about him. He just knows how to win.”
Despite Boston’s 25.6% shooting from beyond the arc and Jayson Tatum’s struggles (6-of-22 from the field), the Celtics secured the victory through a complete team effort. Luka Doncic’s 32-point triple-double wasn’t enough to counteract Boston’s balanced attack, with four players scoring 18+ points. Jaylen Brown (21), Tatum (18), and Derrick White (18) complemented Holiday’s dominant display, making Boston the sixth team since 2000 to achieve this scoring feat in a Finals game.
Kristaps Porzingis contributed 12 points and a game-high 26.1 net rating, while Payton Pritchard (16.7 net rating) nailed a crucial 37-footer at the buzzer, giving the Celtics a nine-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
Doncic, who was downgraded from ‘probable’ to ‘questionable’ due to multiple injuries, managed to play and deliver his seventh triple-double (32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, 4 3-pointers) of the 2024 Playoffs. This performance ties him with Wilt Chamberlain for the second-most triple-doubles in a single postseason, behind Nikola Jokic’s 10.
With 10 career playoff triple-doubles, Doncic is now tied for sixth all-time with Larry Bird, Draymond Green, and Rajon Rondo, just one behind Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. The Celtics, now two wins away from their first championship, look to build on this momentum in the series.
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The post SOURCE SPORTS: Jrue Holiday Leads Celtics to 2-0 Series Lead Over Mavs appeared first on The Source.